ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE F1 EDITION

WITH NO TRACK ELEMENT TO ECOTY 2021 YOU might think that bringing Aston Martin’s track refugee to a road-based test is a tad unfair. But Aston Martin’s idea of a track car is a little less extreme than, say, Porsche’s, and the F1 Edition proved itself early this year to not only be the very best example of a Vantage we have driven but, more pertinently, a quite exceptional road car, too.

The reason for this is that the changes made to the F1 Edition are not purely to make it sharper, quicker and faster on track (which it is), but also to address some of the Vantage’s weak spots that, up until now, Aston hasn’t had the funds/resource/desire to rectify; but now it has, earning the car the right to take a shot at the ecoty title.

Those changes are comprehensive, tying the chassis together more tightly through thicker underfloor panels than before, upping damper compression and spring rates at the rear, and adjusting the front bump-stops and lowspeed rebound. This is not just a stickers and wings job to sell more cars – although selling more cars is also part of the F1’s remit – it highlights that Aston Martin understands it needs to continue to develop its products so they flourish rather than flounder after their initial launch.

After its troubled launch, with the cars arriving to market unfinished to serve the needs of Aston’s IPO, only now does the Vantage feel it has reached a level where it can truly be considered complete. In isolation, it is undoubtedly a desirable car, its performance and nature a comfortable blend of a super sports car and a focused GT. This week it will have the opportunity to finally demonstrate what it’s truly capable of.

‘IT’S EASILY THE BEST VANTAGE I’VE DRIVEN, PROBABLY THE MOST SORTED ASTON IN YEARS’ – ADAM TOWLER, EVO 288